Description
Book SynopsisIn this unique look at a key figure in the ‘Islamic enlightenment’, Samer Akkach examines the life and works of ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi (1641-1731). Often characterized solely as a Sufi saint, his thought and teachings were of a much wider remit, and symptomatic of a growing rationalism among Islamic scholars during his lifetime. Through a fresh reading of his large body of mostly unpublished works, Akkach argues that ‘Abd al-Ghani helped to herald the beginning of modernity in the Arab world.
Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION
Unresolved Dilemma
Approach
PART I HIS LIFE: A VIEW FROM WITHIN
Saintly Predictions
A Family with One Saint
Calculated Performance
Spiritual Call
On the Sufi Path
Journeys
PART II HIS THOUGHT: A VIEW FROM WITHOUT
Heavenly Inspirations, Rational Insights
Faith and Reason
Enlightenment and the Primacy of Reason
Islam and the Continuity of Tradition
God in a Mechanical Universe
The Human Reality
Religion and Otherness
The Emergence of the Public
PART III HIS LEGACY: A VIEW FROM A DISTANCE
Departing Damascus
An Advocate of Truth
Biographical Sources
Selected Bibliography
Index
